


Bow Down, Bitches

by GracieHoltzbertTrash715



Category: Empire (TV 2015), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-18 20:24:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9401573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GracieHoltzbertTrash715/pseuds/GracieHoltzbertTrash715
Summary: Cookie Lyon stumbles upon a girl who has some raw talent. She's gotta have her. When she pursues the teen and her gift, she is brought into an unknown town. After meeting the young singer's mother, Cookie finds out how much harder it might be to get the teen to New York City to record a groundbreaking album. / I OWN NOTHING /Actually...I wrote all the song lyrics myself/





	1. Found

"Porsha!" A voice sounded throughout the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Massachusetts. Passersby stared at the overtired African-American woman as she yelled on the phone. "How could you screw up my plane ticket?! I specifically said the Manchester Airport in England! Why in the hell would I need to come to ghetto ass Boston, Massachusetts?" She stopped to listen to the excuse from her often, screw-up, of an assistant. Porsha Taylor tried explaining herself to the frustrated music producer. "Porsha..." The former Mrs. Lyon tried to interrupt the woman on the other end. "Porsha, the Lovebox Music Festival is in East London! In three days! What I'ma do all the way ova here in Boston when all my singers is in Europe?!" Cookie adjusted the phone upon her cheek in order to yell at the people walking by. "What?! Whatchu lookin' at?! You ain't never seen an angry black woman before?! I know y'all watch Tyler Perry!" The residents quickened their pace, distancing themselves from her as she continued to shout. "Uh huh! That's what I thought!" She spoke on the cell once more. "Porsha...you needa get me another plane ticket outta here." Ms. Taylor asked her how to do that from New York City." I 'on't know, Porsha. Figure it out! That's yo' job, isn't it?" She softened her voice a bit. "Look, get me a flight to England as soon as possible and I won't fire yo' ass! Okay? Call me when you've finally learned to do somethin' right." She heavily sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Meanwhile...I'ma find a way to entertain myself in this ratchet city."

Aggressively hanging up the phone, Cookie let out a frustrated groan before sitting back down in the chair behind her. Closing her eyes, she rested her face in her hands, taking a deep breath in the hopes of ridding herself of the stress from the past few weeks. Her ex-husband and longtime pain in the ass, Lucious Lyon, had been putting more pressure on her in order to distract her from her job as co-CEO. She wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what he was doing everytime he gave her a new singer to represent or another album to work on. He was still attempting to get her to step down as Co-CEO in order for him to take full control of "Empire" again. She wasn't having it and she would not let him win.

His latest assignment for her was to go out and find some new talent. Since their co-founded record label had gone public, Lucious had been convinced that finding more unknown artists could keep their stats above all the other music companies out there. In this case, he'd been sending out the mother of his three grown sons to find talent in all the smallest towns in the state of New York. It was non-stop. Everytime Cookie thought she'd have a break, he'd give her another town to go to and she found herself losing sleep.

Sleep...that's what she needed. With another sigh, the former convicted felon stood from her seat in the lobby at the airport. Her entire body ached and she forced herself to pull the suitcase that lagged behind her. Making her way to the information counter, she recognized the weary expression on the face of the man behind it. "Don't worry, I don't want any trouble." The exhaustion in her voice was more noticeable than a few moments ago when she was on the phone. "I just wanna know if there's a hotel close by. Preferably one with a bar." Her voice cracked with a hint of a chuckle.

The employee who, at first was a bit nervous around Cookie, suddenly began to smile as he revelled in the woman's beauty. All too familiar with the flirtatious look, Cookie grinned as well and the handsome hispanic man informed her of where to go.

*Three Hours Later*

Cookie slowly opened her eyes from her much-needed nap. Looking up at the ceiling of her hotel room, she let out a groan. A smirk grew on her face as she chuckled as the erotic dream she had about the man at the airport. Closing her eyes with a shake of her head, she began to stretch when she felt something beside her. Looking to her right, she let out a startled gasp, pulling the blanket over her mouth and nose. It wasn't a dream. The sexy hispanic from behind the counter was lying in her bed, from what she could see, shirtless. He was awake and smiling at her.

"How was your nap?" He wondered.

"Ummm…" She blinked fast, unable to believe it was real. "It was fine." She slowly moved the blanket back down, hugging it to her bare chest. It was now that she realized...they were both naked. Rolling her eyes at herself, she looked back up at the ceiling, sighing. "Oh my God!" She mumbled.

"What?" The man in his early thirties asked.

"I can't believe we-" She stopped, not wanting to upset him. "I've...I've never EVER done this before."

"Done what?" He looked confused, knowing a woman as beautiful and as 'experienced' as Cookie couldn't have been a virgin before they met.

"Slept with someone I just met. Let alone before dating them first." She stood from the bed, taking the blanket with her. As she pulled the white cover, holding it to her body, she let out a surprised yelp as she revealed the man's bare body. "Oh, God! Cover up!" She closed her eyes, trying her best not to keep glancing at his fine self.

He chuckled, slowly pulling the remaining sheets over his lower half. "That's not what you were saying a couple hours ago."

Cookie scoffed, looking around the floor for her clothes. "Yes, but...I don't even know your name." She couldn't even recall reading his name tag at the airport. "This should never have happened."

"Yeah, well it did." He couldn't stop grinning, which caused her to grin as well, even though she didn't want to. "And I really enjoyed it." He looked her up and down, causing shivers to run down Cookie's spine. He giggled when he noticed the embarrassed expression on her face. "My name is Sebastian."

"Well," she felt her cheeks growing warm, "...Sebastian. I think you should go."

"Are you sure?" Sebastian stood from the bed, holding a sheet around his waist. He slowly and seductively walked over to her, stopping just centimeters from her.

Looking at him, she got a nice whiff of his cologne and she almost reached up to touch his well-chiseled chest. "I-um...yes. Yes." Her eyes looked up into his icy blue ones and her heart began to pound a bit harder. "Yes." She said once more.

"Hmm..That's probably the fourteenth time I've heard you say 'yes' today, Miss Cookie." He reached up, pushing one of her stray hairs behind her ear.

Almost in a trance, she choked out, "F-fourteen?" She asked in a daze.

Sebastian shrugged one shoulder. "Well...I'm not really keeping count." He looked down at her hands, clutching the blanket to her naked breasts. "It's easy to lose count over someone as sexy as you." The back of his hand grazed her goosebump-covered arm and she deeply inhaled.

Clearing her throat, she snapped out of it, though she stared at his smooth lips. "Yeah, well. You're not gonna hear me say it anymore in this lifetime." She slapped at his hand and stepped away from him while he laughed.

"If that's really what you want." He watched her as she frantically picked up the clothes that were strewn about the room.

"It's what I need." She said, heading toward the bathroom. "And what else I need is for you to change and be out of here before I get out of the shower."

Sebastian smirked. "You sure you don't want me in there with you?"

"You better stop tryin' to cause trouble, young man." She chuckled while he picked up his boxers.

Shaking his head with a grin, he saw in her eyes that she didn't regret anything and she closed the bathroom door. He smiled down at the floor before changing and leaving.

Loretha 'Cookie' Lyon finished showering, changing, and brushing her hair before coming out of the bathroom to find a small piece of paper on the bedstand on the side she fell asleep on. Picking it up, she read "You truly are something special, Miss Cookie. Enjoy the rest of your trip. -Sebastian." A wide grin grew on her face as she shook her head, setting the note in the little trash can when she went back into the bathroom to blow-dry and straighten her raven-colored hair.

After finishing her makeup and checking herself out in the full body mirror, she headed down to the casino and bar on the first floor of the less-than-luxurious hotel. Walking through the gambling floor, the sounds of the slot machines reminded her of the days she and Lucious tried everything they could to get easy money for their first album. Casinos, drugs, hoes, rapping on the streets for some cash, they'd done it all. Taking in a deep breath, Cookie ignored looks of disdain from people she passed while she made her way to the bar.

Taking a seat, she asked for a drink from the bartender before checking her phone for any texts from Porsha. So far, nothing. Her mind was telling her to hurry up and fire Ms. Taylor, but her heart had actually grown to care for the little fool and she couldn't bring herself to unemploy the woman. She set her phone back in her purse before the girl behind the bar returned with her drink. Cookie grabbed the red straw, pulling it out of the drink and throwing it down on the counter, drinking the alcohol straight from the glass. Only leaving a little left on the bottom, she turned to see the man on the stage to the right of the bar. He was belting out a Johnny Cash song while playing the guitar and she made a disgusted face, wondering how anyone could call that music.

Clearing her throat, she was glad when he finished and a host stepped out onto the stage, taking the microphone in hand. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen. How's everyone enjoying open-mic night so far?"

"Open-mic night? Well, that explains it." She mumbled only loud enough for herself to hear.

"We've got plenty of newcomers lined up tonight." The host continued to announce.

"Oh, great. Hopefully none of them are anything like that last guy." She took another sip of her drink.

"Okay, everyone! This next girl is a regular. She's been here many times. She's one of the crowd's favorites. I, myself, call her, not only a singer, but a true artist. Please give her a warm welcome….Cora!"

The small audience that was actually paying attention awkwardly clapped as the African-American young adult made her way onto the stage with, what Cookie could see, timidity. The former Mrs. Lyon thought the shyness in the girl's being was strange considering the host spoke about her being a bit experienced. Loretha took the last sip of her drink before asking for another as the opening instrumentals of the song began. The good beat caught Cookie's attention and she turned in her stool, facing the stage more while she watched the apprehensive singer close her eyes, taking the microphone stand in her hands in front of her. Her mouth opened with a petite and audible breath before an angelic and, what sounded like, a professionally trained sound came out.

"It's taken us so long

Why haven't we righted the wrongs?

People dance around like life's a song

But we all forget where we belong

Don't hurt me

It disturbs me

Find a way for us to be

One.

We can all be one.

We all need love.

Even ones that hurt us

Can't we just put down the guns?

Yeah, 'cause in the end…

All we want is love."

The song lyrics were beginning to move Cookie and she suddenly began to wonder what this young girl had been through in order for her to write such meaningful lyrics. Nowadays, girls her age are usually writing about sex, drugs, break-ups, or being rebellious. But this singer, this...artist. She was different. And so was her sound. It was something new. Something Cookie knew 'Empire' needs.

"Mom works her magic

In a world so tragic

Dad doesn't exist

No one knows where he is

Why has this all been dismissed?"

Suddenly, as Cookie closed her eyes in order to take in the lyrics, she was shocked to find that this woman could also spit some rhymes as she began to rap. Cookie couldn't help but smirk knowing she'd just found a new artist for 'Empire.'


	2. Tiny Ass Village

When Cora left the stage, Cookie immediately turned back in her stool to look for the bartender. "Um...Excuse me?" She shouted down the bar. When she caught the employee's attention, the girl headed down to where she sat.

"Need another drink?" She politely asked.

"Uh, no. I, uh...Is there a way for me to get in the back dressing rooms to speak to a performer?" Cookie wondered.

"Uh, I'm not sure. I don't know anything about the-"

The bartender was interrupted. "Dina? Can I get a water with lemon, please?"

"Sure thing, Cora." The blonde behind the counter smiled.

Cookie looked to her left, seeing the young girl beside her. She grinned. "You were really something up there."

"Oh." Cora shyly spoke. "Thank you."

"I'm Cookie." She extended her hand to shake Cora's.

"Nice to meet you." The dark-skinned young lady nodded. "I'm Cora."

"Yeah." Cookie chuckled. "I know." Cora squeezed her lips shut before receiving her water. "Um..." Cookie began. "Could I buy you a drink?"

"Oh. Uh..." Cora nervously looked around. "No, I can't." She basically whispered.

"Why no-" Cookie looked down at the girl's stomach. "Ooohhh..." She whispered back.

"No, no!" Cora put a hand on Cookie's arm. "No, that's not why." She cleared her throat. "Just, uh...no thanks." She weakly smiled, looking away as she took a sip of her water.

"You know...you're really very talented...Did you write that song yourself?" Ms. Lyon kept the conversation going.

"Yes, Ma'am." Cora seemed a bit on edge as she looked at the time on her phone. "Umm...I gotta go."

"Wait, wait." Cookie took out her wallet, paying for her own drink and followed the girl away from the bar. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Uh, sure." Cora hesitated. "What is it?" They continued to walk through the casino.

"My ex-husband is Lucious Lyon."

"Wait, wait, wait." Cora thought for a moment. "Cookie? You're Cookie Lyon?"

"That's right." Cookie answered smoothly with a grin.

"Oh my God! I've never met a celebrity before!" The young girl responded with a squeal hiding in the back of her throat.

"Oh, well...I'm not really a...nevermind. How would you...like to sign on to become one of 'Empire's' new artists?" Cookie tilted her head up, looking to the taller, skinny female beside her.

They made their way to the exit while Cora thought about it and they went outside. Standing on the sidewalk, they faced each other, Cookie waiting for an answer with a hopeful smile and Cora, biting her lip in anticipation and a hint of worry. She opened her mouth, nothing came out at first. "I...I wish I could, but...I really can't. I'm sorry." She put her head down in disappointment, turning to walk away from the older of the two.

Cookie looked around herself, just now realizing they were outside before she shortly ran to catch up to the singer. "Wait, wait. Sure you can."

"No..." Cora looked down, stopping her steps. She looked around making sure there was no one important around on the side of the streets of Boston. She closed her eyes in shame, sighing. "I'd have to ask my mother."

"Oh...Well, that's alright. Is she like your manager or something?"

"No, no. She just...I don't think she'd approve."

"You're very talented Cora. You could be making a TON of money with 'Empire.' AND you won't have to keep singing in little bars in casinos at hotels no more." Cookie believed she'd convinced her. Or at least...persuaded her to let her convince her mother.

"No. Trust me." Cora awkwardly chuckled. "My mother would NEVER-" She closed her eyes in shame. "She doesn't even know that I sing."

"What?!"

"Nope. I sneak out of the house to come here."

"You still live with your parents?" The former drug dealer nodded with a bit of understanding.

"Well...yeah." Cora looked around once more. "That's the other thing."

"What?"

"I'm only sixteen." She practically whispered again.

Cookie smirked, loving the teen's courage and determination as she kind of reminded her of her younger self. "Ah." She nodded, looking around as well. She took Cora by the arm, realizing none of the other workers at the casino knew about her age. "Let's go talk up in my hotel room."

"I don't-" Cora tried to protest, though she found herself walking along with Cookie anyway.

"No, no. It's okay." The older of the two led the teen back inside the casino of the hotel to bring her up to her room.

"I really should be getting back home." Cora nervously spoke as she reluctantly stepped into Cookie's hotel suite.

"It's almost three in the morning, she prolly sleepin' anyway." Cookie waved her off, sitting down on the sofa in the large room. She could tell by the look on Cora's face that she'd never been in a suite this big before. "Come here. Come sit with me." The inviting mother of three suggested. Standing at the side of the ivory colored couch, Cora held onto the purse she carried on her shoulder. Looking down at the empty spot beside the woman, she couldn't decide if any of this was okay. "Don't worry." Cookie grinned. "I don't bite." She said with a giggle.

Cora let out an awkward chuckle before finally giving into her urges and sitting beside her.

"So..." Cookie began. "You's a sixteen year old girl who sneaks out at night to go sing at a tiny bar in a hotel in order to...what? Make a little cash? Rebel against your mama? Just for the hell of it? What?"

"Haha! No, it's nothing like that." Cora looked down, letting her purse fall to the couch beside her. "I just...I just love music so much. I don't know...it just-It feels like it's in my blood. My mother wouldn't understand."She replied, receiving a few slow nods from Cookie.

"Well...you have such a beautiful voice. And it sounds like you've been professionally trained. How is that even possible if she-"

"I snuck out to take lessons from a local teacher as a kid."

Cookie widened her eyes, mouthing the word 'wow!' She wondered how this girl's mother never knew about her daughter sneaking out of the house so much. "You know what..." She smiled. "I bet you I can convince her to at least come record that song you just performed. And THEN, after she sees what a big hit it becomes, she can decide if you sign with us for an album. How 'bout that?"

The teen squinted. "Mmmm...I don't know. Mom is VERY hard to persuade."

"I bet I could persuade her with all the cash you be rollin' in." Cookie joked with an unmodest tone. She playfully shoved Cora's shoulder with her own.

"My mom is the richest person in our hometown." Cookie's smile vanished and she stared ahead at the wall across from the couch. "It's okay. I'm fine with just singing at the bar every now and then. Just as long as no one finds out how old I really am, it's all good. Thank you, though." Cora grabbed her purse, heading for the door.

"Um...Cora, sweetie."

"Yes, Ma'am?" She stopped and turned to look down at the woman slowly standing from the sofa.

"What if someone...oh I don't know," she leisurely began to walk closer and closer to the young girl, "...accidentally let it slip to your supervisor that a runaway was underage and singing in his bar?" She audibly gasped. "Or even worse...someone tipped off the police?"

"You wouldn't do something like that." Cora rolled her eyes, turning to open the door.

Cookie reached around her, putting her hand on the doorknob and forcing the door shut. "Oh, I would." The teen turned just enough to be face to face with the shorter, but older woman. Their closeness encouraged Cora's heart to beat even faster. "I just wanna talk to your mom. That's all."

Cora fully turned around, Cookie finally backing up a bit. She sighed. "Fine." She turned the doorknob behind her, slightly opening the door. "But don't get your hopes up...Like I said, my mother's a real pain in the ass."

"Good." Cookie grabbed her purse from the couch and followed Cora out the door. "It wouldn't be fun if she wasn't."

"We'll have to take a cab or a bus...unless you got a car."

"Nope. Cab's just fine. But you're payin.'"

"Whatever." She shut the door behind her and they headed down to the lobby to hail a cab.

They got into the yellow taxi, Cora making Cookie get in first.

"Where to, ladies?" The driver asked.

"Portland, Maine."

"MAINE?!" The middle-aged music producer looked to the girl on her right. She glared at the smiling teen as the cab pulled away.

They finally made it at almost five o'clock in the morning. "What's the exact address?" The driver asked with exhaustion.

"You can just drop us off right here, sir. Thank you." Cora paid him and shook Cookie to wake her up from her slumber on the backseat window.

"What? What? We here?" Ms. Lyon asked as she struggled to open her eyes.

"Not yet. But our ride is over. Come on."

When they got out of the car, Cora led Cookie to the nearest place with a bathroom. The tired woman complained every ten seconds and Cora began to make comparisons between Ms. Lyon and her own mother. As she waited for Cookie to get out of the bathroom, she bought two bottles of water. Taking out a tiny glass bottle, Cora looked around before pouring the liquid from it into Cookie's intended bottle of water.

"You ready?" The teen asked when Cookie finally rejoined her. "I got you a water." She handed it to the producer, who ripped it from her possession.

"Can't believe you snuck out of the house and drove two hours away." They left the small shop. "The hell's wrong wit'chu?" A moody Cookie pouted her lips.

Cora tried her best not to laugh. "Come on. We're walking the rest of the way."

"It better not be far!" She angrily followed the amused girl down the street.

Twenty minutes passed and Cora had endured many snarky remarks from Cookie. They reached an area where the roads were vacant and surrounded by trees. The former convicted felon was beginning to feel like this was all part of some horror film as she nervously drank every bit of water from her bottle. When Cora suddenly came to a halt, she anxiously tried taking another sip before she noticed it was empty.

"Gone?" Cora wondered.

"Unfortunately."

"Good." The teen grinned before turning to look further down the street.

Cookie's dark brown eyes followed her gaze and she saw a sign that wasn't there before. Excessively blinking, she wondered if her eyes were going or if her exhaustion was beginning to get to her. "Storybrooke?" She missed the contented look on Cora's face as the teen walked closer toward it. "What kinda white person names a town that?" She finally started to follow the younger of the two, also noticing the sun coming up from the East. When they reached the road directly to the left of the sign, the orange, spray-painted line on the pavement below them appeared to be more noticeable. "Who painted the damn road?"

"You ask too many questions." The mysterious singer replied. They stood for a moment in silence, just looking across the orange line. Curious if the potion truly worked, Cora put her arm in front of her. "After you." She spoke, wanting to watch an unknown civilian cross it first.

Cookie stood there for a moment, really beginning to regret this, but knowing she'd beat Lucious and his stupid little schemes if she could get someone like Cora to sign with them at the same time as being co-CEO and managing several artists at once. She sighed and rolled her eyes before quickly stepping into Storybrooke as if Cora's dramatics were totally unnecessary. When the teen happily followed, she grabbed Cookie by the hand and led her to Main Street.

"Miss Cookie Lyon...welcome to Storybrooke, Maine."

The music producer looked around the town. Her eyes fell to the library and its clocktower. She looked around at the little shops before staring up at the cloudy sky. She spent her whole life living in a big city, never-before had she seen such short buildings before.

"What a cute little, tiny ass village." She finally spoke. "Now, take me to your mom and dad." She was too tired to continue with this strange charade.

"Fine." Cora said, leading her to Mifflin Street. "Ours is the biggest house on this street. And one of the nicest ones in the whole town." They made it to the house with the number 108 on the door. "This is it."

Cookie stared up at the manor in awe. "What do your parents do for a living?" She finally choked out.

"It's just my mom." They made their way up the path to the entrance.

"No father?"

Cora shook her head no.

"Oh." Cookie said when they took the steps up to the door. "Well...Miss Thang, what does your mom do for a living?"

Cora smiled before putting her key in the doorknob to open it. "She's the mayor."


	3. Regina Mills, Meet Cookie Lyon

The two women entered the mansion quietly. Even though Cookie couldn't see in the dark of the house, what she could see had her full attention. Cora put her hand on her arm as she led her into the family room. She sat her down on the couch in front of the fireplace before lighting a small fire in order to give the house some light.

Whispering Cora spoke, "You can sleep there if you're still tired. I'll introduce you to my mom when she gets up for work in about...three hours."

"Luna?!" They heard coming from the top of the stairs in an aggressive whisper. 

The singer closed her eyes, knowing she had been caught. "Shit." She said, facing away from the staircase. Taking a deep breath she turned to see the third person reaching the bottom of the steps and heading into the living room to join them. "Henry, you should be asleep." She whispered to the boy.

"Yeah. And so should you. If Mom finds out that you snuck out again-"

"She's not going to find out....because I'm gonna tell her." 

"Are you insane?!"

"Um...hi?" Cookie waved at him when he finally noticed her presence.

"Luna!" His eyes widened. "You brought in an outsider?!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Cookie looked to Cora with much confusion. "Cora, what's goin' on? Did you lie to me about your name?"

"No. I mean, yes. Well, not exactly. No. Cora's my middle name, so I used it as my stage name so no one would find out who I was. You just...you heard them call me by my stage name at the casino and so, I just didn't stop you from calling me what you knew me as."

In that moment, the adult in the room stood from the couch, still shorter than the other two. "Okay, what is really goin' on here and who is this lil' fool?" She sent sharp eyes to Henry.

"I'm her brother." He responded. "And you shouldn't be here." He looked to the dark-skinned teen. "Luna, how could you use that potion? When Mom finds out-"

"Potion!?" Cookie said in a ridiculous tone, ignoring the fact that they were supposed to be whispering. 

"Shhh!" The other two shushed her.

When she noticed neither of them were flinching, she continued to look back and forth between them before realizing they thought they were being serious. She shook her head no, with an hysterical smile, folding her hands together and pressing them to her own forehead. She began to chuckle. "Wait, wait, wait a minute. Are y'all two crazy? Is this a...is this a hospital for the mentally ill? Or am I just getting Punk'd? Because right now...those are the only two things that make any sense in this situation."

"No. Miss Cookie. Just ignore my little brother." She made eyes at Henry who returned the look.

"Luna? Henry? What is going on here?" They were joined by a fourth person. A fiery, olive-skinned, Puerto-Rican woman with jet-black hair that stopped just above her shoulders. She was wearing powder-blue, silk pajamas with a cream-colored, cotton bathrobe that she wrapped around her waist with her hands as she hugged herself, coming down the stairs. "It's five-thirty in the morning. You should be aslee-" She finally looked up to see a stranger in the living room of her house. With fury, she stepped down the last stair, walking over to the light switch, turning on the one in the hall above the staircase. "Excuse me, who are you? And what are you doing in my town?"

Cookie shook her head while she looked down at the floor, biting her tongue, realizing who this was. "Your town." She said under her breath. Looking up into piercing eyes, she spoke loudly. "You must be the mayor." She extended her hand to shake the angry woman's, but she was not shown the same courtesy.

"Uhhh..." Luna awkwardly began. "Regina Mills, meet Cookie Lyon."

"Cookie Lyon?" Henry finally woke up a bit more. "Like...Lucious Lyon-Lyon? The founder of 'Empire,' Lyon?"

"Uh...CO-founder." Cookie corrected. "It was my money that started that damn place to begin with."

"Excuse me, what is going on here?" Regina interrupted.

Luna nervously tried to explain. "Oh, Mom, I-"

"Regina, your daughter-"

"Mayor Mills." The uptight woman reprimanded.

Cookie glared at her, just now realizing she was going to be one of 'those' people. "Mayor Mills," she corrected herself, beginning to feel the hostility radiating from the woman's body, "...Your daughter, Cora-"

"Luna." The singer rectified.

With a roll of her eyes, Ms. Lyon continued. "Your daughter, Luna...is very very gifted."

"Yes, I know that. You didn't have to come all the way here to tell me something I already know." Regina smugly responded.

"You know? Oh..." The African-American began to realize that Luna was adopted. She laughed. "So you knew this whole time that Luna had been sneaking out to go perform in bars at casinos and in hotels in Boston in the middle of the night?"

"You what?!" Regina finally turned her hostile attention toward her daughter.

"Mom, I-"

"Henry. You knew about this? And you didn't tell me?" She asked her son.

"Mom-"

"I will be talking to Emma about this. Go up to your room and get some more sleep." Henry sighed, obeying her and stepping by her to walk up the stairs. "And you're grounded for keeping this from me." She yelled up to him.

"Ma, Henry had nothing to do with-"

"Luna!" Regina shouted with her eyes closed. She lowered her voice. "I don't need to hear excuses from you right now."

She began to reply. "I don't have any excuses! I was just gonna explain that-"

"Young lady, I am not in the mood."

"Miss Mills, if I could?" Cookie was able to avert Regina's eyes from Luna landing on her. "Your daughter is a very talented singer. And I had her bring me here to ask you if you'd give us the permission to sign your daughter into our multi-billion dollar music company. I believe she could be a star."

"Did you just say a multi-BILLION dollar music company?" Regina asked.

The former Mrs. Lyon smiled. "Yes, Ma'am. She's that good."

Regina's mouth warped into a very small smile that only curled on one side. Her eyes moved back over to Luna as she opened her mouth to speak. "Absolutely not."

Both Luna and Cookie's smiles faded. "Mayor Mills, why not?" 

"Because that means she'd be travelling all around the world and visiting different countries and people like you will be telling her what to do and how to handle her body on screen for the whole world to see. Not only do I disapprove of that aspect of it...but I'd also feel safer if she were here with me."

"Mom, you can't keep me home forever."

"Well, apparently not considering you've been sneaking out every night." Regina shot back. "And this time you brought a stranger into Storybrooke?"

"Mom..."

"How dare you?!" Tears of anger rose in the mayor's eyes as she turned her body to face Luna head on. Cookie watched with a wary eye as the teen's mother threateningly walked over to her daughter. Lyon stepped in as well as if to protect Luna if necessary. "I gave you that potion in confidence...trusting you to keep it safe and to use it in the right moment for the right reason."

"I'm sorry, Mom. I-"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Princess!" 

"Alright...hold up, hold up, hold up!" Cookie put a hand on Luna's arm, pushing her away from Regina and stepping in a bit closer to create a triangle amongst them. "This is the second time I've heard something about a potion." She looked at Regina whose lips were pursed in frustration. "What...in the HELL are y'all talking about...POTION?!"

"Exactly what it sounds like Miss Candy."

"Cookie!" The producer corrected.

"Whatever." The mayor smirked. "My daughter here...was given a potion I made in order to bring," she looked at Cookie's outfit from head to toe with disdain, "...outsiders like you into Storybrooke. This was made in case of an EMERGENCY, but instead my reckless daughter used it for her own personal gain."

"Okay, you know what..." Loretha stepped through the both of them, heading for the door. "I don't have time to talk to you crazy people." She opened the door, looking back at Luna. "No matter how talented you are, I will not work with a bunch of freaks like you!" She stepped out the door yelling, "Bye Felicia!" as it closed behind her.

"Hi, Felicia." The moment Cookie stepped outside, Regina magicked herself in front of her house, causing Cookie to jump when she almost ran into her. 

"What the fu-How did you?" Shaking her head, she stepped around the mayor. "Move, bitch!" As she got halfway down the path to the sidewalk, a cloud of purple smoke got in her way, eventually revealing Regina, laughing a villainous laugh. "The devil is a lie! I got to go!" Cookie ran around her.

"Go where?" Regina appeared in front of her again.

"That's it! You're gon' get it!" Cookie made her hand into a fist, pulling it back to punch, but once she extended her arm forward, Regina had poofed away, landing behind her. The mayor's laugh informed Cookie of her whereabouts and the black woman turned around, ready to punch again when Luna appeared in between the both of them.

"Stop it!" 

"Luna, how did you-?" Regina wondered, knowing she didn't have magic in her blood.

"I told you, Mom. I'm the best at making potions. Now would you please stop and just sit down and have a conversation with Cookie like a normal person, please?"

"Uh....that'll be a little hard." The former Evil Queen chuckled.

"Why?" Luna asked with an attitude.

"It's hard to have a conversation with someone who's unconscious." She laughed as her adoptive daughter turned around to see Cookie, passed out on the sidewalk.

"Ugh! Mom, why are you so difficult?" Luna bent down to try and wake up Cookie.

"I'M the difficult one, Luna? I'm not the one who's been sneaking out every night to chase some silly dream." She was annoyed that she didn't have Luna's full attention so she snapped her fingers, magicking Cookie back inside, onto their couch. 

When Luna noticed what Regina did, she stood up and turned around to face her mother. "Why is dreaming so bad, huh? Granny says that we should always chase our dreams." She turned and headed back up the pathway to the house, Regina following.

"Oh, please. That's easy for her to say in that...monstrosity of a hovel she calls a diner." 

"Don't blame her for that. You're the one who gave her that little place in the curse." Luna reached the front door, walking in and going straight to the sofa Cookie was still passed out on.

"Exactly." Regina chuckled. "And if I were to do it again...I'd still give her that raggedy old shoe."

"Mom, I thought you changed." Luna kneeled down in front of the fireplace next to Cookie.

"I did, I did." Regina giggled. "I'm just joking."

Luna looked up at her mother, shaking her head with a smile before they both laughed. "Cookie?" She shook her arm. "Miss Cookie?" The music producer groaned, slowly waking up. "Are you okay?"

Without opening her eyes, Ms. Lyon began to speak. "I had this...strange dream."

"It wasn't a dream, dear." Regina said, walking around the couch with her arms folded across her chest. She looked down at the outsider with an amused expression before talking to Luna. "You know, maybe we should do this more often."

"Do what?" The teen wondered.

"Bring in outsiders and just screw with them. It's actually kinda fun."

"Mom, no." 

"I'm kidding." The mayor defended herself. "Wow. Teens really can't take a joke nowadays, can you?"

Cookie finally opened her eyes all the way. "Cora?"

"Yes, Miss Cookie. It's Luna, remember?"

Loretha put a hand to her forehead, feeling the headache from the fall. "Ugh!" She groaned in pain.

"Mom, can you get her a cool wash cloth, please?" 

"Sure." Regina magicked one in her hand, causing Cookie to sit up almost like a reflex.

"It's all real." She mumbled to herself, slapping away Luna's hand as she tried dabbing her forehead with the cloth. "Don't touch me!" She stood up. "Man, black folks don't be messin' with no voodoo witches...I'm out!" She tried to walk around the couch and Regina magicked herself in front of her.

Sighing, the mayor rolled her eyes. "We're not doing this again, are we?"

"Miss Cookie, please hear us out." Luna tried.

"No. I'm not listening to no voodoo bitches!" She covered her ears. "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!"

Regina put her hands on her hips with another loud sigh. "Henry!" She yelled, knowing he was probably listening anyway. "Come down here, please! And bring your book!" There was no response, nor a sign of movement. "I know you're awake, young man!" 

A pause.

"Uhhhh!" Came from the bedroom upstairs. "Which book?! THE book?!" He asked.

"Yes, Henry!" The former Evil Queen looked to her daughter who was still standing by the fire.

Luna spoke. "We're gonna tell her about the-"

"What other choice do we have?"


	4. Suburban Townies

"Okay, so wait...Y'all a bunch of fairytale characters? That really exist? And this town's full of 'em?" 

"Yes, Ma'am." Luna responded.

"Well, not Luna. I adopted her just a few months after Henry." Regina smiled at Henry standing beside her as she rubbed his back. "I love my son, but I knew I really wanted a daughter as well. Even though she's two years older than him...I had him first."

"And he IS a fairytale character?" Cookie decided to humor them, even if they were crazy.

"Well, sort of." Henry laughed. "Like we said, my grandparents are Snow White and Prince Charming...so technically I am. I was just born here."

It was silent again as the three members of the Mills family stood, looking down at Cookie on the couch, taking it all in. "And how do you expect me to believe all this shit?" She slammed the fairytale book in her lap shut. She stared up at them while they looked amongst each other. "How 'm I supposed to believe that you're the Evil Queen?!" 

"Well, you can try one of my poisoned apples, if you'd like." Regina replied with a smug smile.

Cookie immediately stood, jumping for Regina, but Luna held her back while Henry kept his mom away from her. The smirk on the mayor's face was more than irritating for the former felon. "This is bullshit. And you know it."

"Mom...I think you'll have to show her." Henry said.

"Show me what?" Cookie pouted her lips into a look as if all of this was pathetic.

"Ugh! Fine." Regina snapped her fingers, magicking all four of them to a dark and gloomy place. It was cold and dust filled the air.

"What the hell are we-"

"Maleficent!" Regina interrupted the newcomer. 

"Regina." They heard a voice from behind them in the cave and they turned around to see a five foot, nine inch tall blonde with a long, gray dress on. She took one look and Cookie and felt her mouth water. "Mmmm...did you bring me a snack? She looks delicious. Who's this poor, dumbfounded, little thing?" Maleficent tilted her head to the side in curiosity.

"Mal, this is our new friend...Cookie." Regina choked on the word 'friend.'

"Cookie?" She sent the woman festering eyes. "How appropriate." Her piercing blue eyes quickly looked back to the Evil Queen with disappointment. "Friend you say? Does this mean I can't-"

"Listen, lesbian bitch!" Cookie interrupted. "I've dealt with a million and one of you when I was in prison, a'ight? I know how to handle a thirsty trick like you. Back off!"

"Oooo...feisty." Mal chuckled.

"Mal..." Regina shook her head.

"Wait a minute..." Cookie put a finger up, stopping Regina from talking. "Maleficent?" She looked back at Luna, Henry, and Regina behind her. "You tryna tell me that this the giant snake bitch from Sleepin' Beauty?"

A tiny giggle came from the only blonde in the cave. "We prefer the term....dragon bitch." 

"We?" Cookie pulled her head back with a stink eye.

Suddenly, they were joined by a flying, giant reptilious being, otherwise known as a dragon, who landed right beside Maleficent, quickly changing into a 32 year old brunette human woman, right before their eyes.

"I've been teaching my daughter Lily how to turn on command." Mal smiled at the woman beside her. "Isn't she getting so much better, Regina?"

"Yes. You always were a great teacher." Mayor Mills replied with a grin.

"Ew." Lily said, usually being the only one who could spot the fiery looks between her mother and the mayor. 

"Don't be rude, Lilith." Maleficent said. "Regina, you better get outta here before my appetite starts craving cookies." She winked at Loretha, who was much too disturbed, distracted, and in shock to send back her thoughts at the moment. 

"Mom, do you have to-" Lily began, but the four non-dragons couldn't hear the rest as they were magicked back to the Mills Manor within seconds.

"Miss Cookie?" Luna tried to get the freaked out producer to respond while she just stood in the middle of the living room, with no expression on her face but a blank stare.

"Ms. Lyon?" Henry tried.

"Cookie!" Regina shouted, snapped her out of it.

The former felon brought both hands up to hold her head as she began to pace around the room. "Oh my God! This isn't real! This is...this is a dream from that drink I had at the bar. Yeah...that's it. I did NOT...just see a dragon." Her eyes stung with stunned tears as she just couldn't fathom anything at the moment. "AGH!" She screamed before suddenly laughing. "I get it. Did Lucious hire you to scare me out of keeping my spot as CEO? They have those-those..." She snapped her fingers, trying to think of the right word. "...Those hologram things now that, that seem very very realistic. Yeah, that's it. Haha! There was no...STINKIN' dragon." She clapped as she laughed again. "It was just a really good hologram thing!"

"What's a hologram?" Regina asked Henry and Luna. 

"Oh my God! Wow!" Cookie was finally beginning to realize Lucious wouldn't even be able to pull this off without wanting to see her reaction. "I'ma call him. I'ma call Lucious and tell him that he's an asshole...but he won't win."

"Mom?" 

"Yes, Henry?" Regina said, not taking her confused but entertained eyes off of Cookie.

"I think she's losing it." The fourteen year old said aloud.

"I think you're right." Miss Mills put an arm around his shoulder before placing her other arm around Luna's beside her.

Cookie reached into her pocket, pulling out her cell phone to call Lucious. It was too late, however, when he was already calling her in a Facetime conference. She answered it. "Haha Lucious! Very funny! Where are the cameras?"

"Cookie, what are you talking about? Where the HELL are you? We've been tryin' to get ahold of you for hours."

"What do you mean? All you had to do was call your lil' friends down here in Storybrooke, Maine if you wanted to talk to me. Stop playin,' Lucious. You knew where I was this whole time!" She yelled into the phone, seeing that in the background he was in his office in New York City.

"Storybrooke, Maine. What the hell kinda name is that?" He responded.

"That's what I said!" She put her free hand on her hip.

"Cookie, look. They need you in London as soon as possible. We've been tryin' to call you to let you know you had another flight at six o'clock this mornin,' but you already missed it."

"What?" Her confusion was starting to overpower her frustration once again. "You mean you DIDN'T hire a buncha...suburbian townies to pick me up in Boston to play games with my head?"

"It's suburban." Henry corrected.

"SHUT UP, HARRY!" She screamed before freaking out again about the dragons and magic and realizing Lucious really wasn't behind it all. She looked back at Lucious on her phone screen. "What's goin' on?"

"There's some problems at the Lovebox Music Festival. Apparently the men cannot set up our equipment until either you or I are there and right now, I'm swamped with a whole load of CEO shit-"

"CO-CEO shit." She interrupted.

"Whatever...Co-CEO shit, so I can't leave New York right now. You've gotta hurry up and get on a damn plane to England right now before I have to fire you too."

"Too?! Wait, Luci-" Before she could say another word, he hung up. "LUCIOUS!" She let out a long scream once again, pretending to throw her phone. 

While Cookie let out every cuss word in the book, Luna looked to her mom. "Uh...do you think you can...you know?"

"No."

"Please?!" The teen whined.

"Luna, no!"

"Mom...we can't hold her captive."

"And we shouldn't be the reason she loses her job." Henry jumped in.

"If I do this...I'm gonna have to go with her just to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't tell anyone about what she heard or saw this beautiful morning...thanks to you two." 

"It wasn't Henry." Luna said once more.

"Henry is just as much to blame. If he had told me a while ago about your secret get-aways, then you would've never met Miss Cookie in the first place, right?" There was no response. "Exactly." She looked back up at the woman losing her mind in her own living room. "When I get back with her...Luna I want you to have made a good memory potion...since you're always bragging about being so good at them, and we'll put poor Mrs. Lyon out of her misery."

"But, Mom?"

"What now, Luna?"

"The record deal?"

"What about it? I'm sure she won't give it to you NOW. Not to mention she won't be able to if she's forgotten about meeting you at all then, will she?" The former Evil Queen pointed out.

"No." Luna spoke sadly. 

Regina sighed. "Alright...I'll see you two when I get back. If we're gone long...go stay with the Charmings." She looked at her kids for a moment, hoping everything they'd just told an outsider wouldn't get her children taken from her. Though a part of her doubted Ms. Lyon wouldn't be locked up in an asylum the minute she told anymore outsiders what she'd seen, she was still a bit cautious. "I love you." 

"We love you, too." Both Henry and Luna said together. 

When Regina took a step forward, Henry watched his adopted sister put a finger in their mother's pocket. He gasped, about to stop them, but it was too late and Regina had unknowingly transported Luna with her and Cookie to England.


	5. Debts And Threats

The purple smoke began to clear and Regina looked around to make sure no one saw them. It was 11:30 in the morning there and many people were wandering about Victoria Park in London by then...except they were lucky that today was the day the park was closed down while the stage for the music festival was being set up. When the mayor of Storybrooke realized they were alone in the area near the Burdett-Coutts Memorial Drinking Fountain, she let out a sigh of relief. Next, she turned her attention to Cookie, about to tell her to calm down when she finally saw Luna. 

"I told you to stay with your brother!!"

"I know. I know, Mom. But I....I've always wanted to see London." Luna spoke with aspiration in her voice. 

"Then Google it!" Regina spoke with a spiteful tone. "I don't have time to look after you AND 'Chip's Ahoy' over there."

"Don't call her that." Luna said with a shameful tone at her mother's cookie joke. 

"Plus, you need to be back in Storybrooke making a memory potion." 

"Why don't we just befriend her and see what happens?" The teen singer suggested.

"Just befriend her and see what happens." Mayor Mills repeated. "Hm...that always works well with outsiders...yeah, that's why we have so many in Storybrooke. How many is that? Oh, right. NONE!" The sarcasm in her tone caused Cookie to glare at the both of them while she continued to swear under her breath at the situation.

"Mom...can we just try? Please? All I wanna do is sing...and she can make that happen." 

Regina bit the inside of her cheek, looking up at the beautiful trees of London...a place she had never been before either. She rolled her eyes before looking down at the puppy dog eyes she received from Luna. Sighing, she responded. "Alright, but if anything goes wrong....we're taking her back to Storybrooke and wiping her memory."

"Yes, Ma'am." The African-American teen nodded with a wide grin.

"Excuse me, little dwarf, Sneaky and Snow-White-Murderer." Cookie snapped her fingers at the two when she was finally beginning to gain some sanity back. "Where the hell did you bring me this time?" She looked up at the elegant artwork of the fountain they stood under. "What? Is this Goldie Locks' apartment? We goin' to end up at the bottom o' the ocean wit' Ariel and the three little pigs or some shit? What'd you bring me here for?"

"Miss Cookie, we're in London." Luna smiled.

"Yeah, haha. Real funny. Regina, where we at?" 

Mayor Mills folded her arms across her chest. "Well, Mrs. Lyon. I helped you out of some trouble with your husband and saved you a trip on a plane." 

"He's my EX-husband." She calmed down a bit. "And thank you. But now my suitcase is back in Boston, still in my hotel room." She looked in between the two. "I ain't got no clothes."

"That's no problem." Regina waved her hand, changing all three of their outfits.

"Mom, how did you-? I thought magic didn't work outside of Storybrooke." Luna felt the fabric of her new shirt.

"It doesn't. But I, uh...have a little something to help with that." The former Evil Queen pulled a chain she wore from under her shirt. On it hung a petite, yellow, stone.

The teen admired her mother's genius. "You brought an Aventurine crystal with you?" 

"I've started carrying them everywhere with me just in case. You know...bad things are always happening at home, I just thought-."

"Okay...well, thank you for nothing, rebellious teen and fictional villainous character, but I better be goin' to save my job and my singers. Bye!" Cookie walked down the steps of the fountain, intending on leaving Luna and Regina for good when she noticed them following her. "No, no." She shook her head, not even having to look behind her. "You two gotta go. I ain't walking around with a bunch of maniacal magic performing mutants!"

"I can't use magic." Luna said, trying her best to catch up to the producer. 

"Nuh uh! Don't play that game wit' me. I saw you poof right in front of me like some David Copperfield shit." In heels, Cookie was surprisingly fast and even Regina was having trouble keeping up with her.

"No, she's right, Mrs....Miss Lyon. She only knows how to make potions and they only work when we're in Storybrooke." Regina defended Luna.

"A'ight. Well, what about you, Crab Apple? And your damn wardrobe changin' broomstick?" 

"Only if we NEED to use magic then I will. But other than that, you don't have to worry about us. Unless you plan on telling anyone about our little secret. THEN we'll have some problems." The former Evil Queen admitted.

They all stopped walking for a moment when Cookie turned around to look Regina in the face. Luna had to catch her breath from the fast pace. "Why would I tell anyone about this crazy shit? I spent 17 years in prison....away from my three sons. I'm not being locked up again for something as stupid as not bein' able to keep my mouth shut." She spun right around, almost hitting Regina in the face with her hair, continuing to walk through the park until they found their way to where the concerts of the festival would take place.

Regina watched Luna's face light up the moment she set her eyes upon that stage and she couldn't help but smile to herself. 

"Who do we need to talk to?" Luna spoke, still trying her best to keep up with the two older women.

"WE talk to nobody. I'LL be doin' all the talkin.'" Cookie said, making her way over to a man who seemed like he was in charge of set up. "EXCUSE ME!" She yelled, getting closer to him.

"Miss Lyon, oh thank God!" A familiar voice sounded.

"Danny, what is goin' on here?" She said to the man carrying a colorful spotlight near the steps of the stage.

"They won't let us set up for Tiana's big number until one of the label's bosses is here." Danny said with frustration in the back of his throat.

"Well, your boss is here now, sir. Do you mind if they set up, please? Thank you!" She said with a bit of a crude and harsh tone.

"No, ma'am." The stage hand protested. "First, I need to see proof of employment."

Cookie's nose scrunched up in disbelief. "Proof of employment? Man, do you know who I a-"

"Yes, here you go, sir." Regina interrupted, magicking a VIP pass into her pocket. She took it out and handed it to the young man while receiving a reluctant look from Miss Cookie. "I'm her assistant. I forgot to give this to her the moment I got it. My fault." Mayor Mills gave the man a reassuring smile and he returned one before stepping aside to let Danny pass him.

"Sorry about that, Miss Lyon." He handed the pass to Cookie, who hesitantly reached out to take it as if it were covered in Regina germs. "You three have a good stay London." The man with a British accent gently spoke before leaving to help with a set of speakers.

After he was gone, Cookie turned to cautiously look at Regina who sent her a snide smirk. "Good save, Mom." Luna half-whispered.

"Good save." Cookie mocked. "You shut up."

"You..." Mills' eyes widened. "...watch the way you're talking to my daughter." She reprimanded.

"I'm sorry. Well, if it weren't for your daughter we wouldn't even be in this situation now, would we?" Lyon added with hostility, glaring at Luna.

"Of course." Regina slightly agreed. "But, Dear...if it wasn't for Luna, you also would be out of a job now, wouldn't you?"

Silence.

Rolling her eyes, Cookie finally responded. "Fine...you two can stay. But only until this festival is over. Then I expect you to send me back to Boston to get my stuff so I can get back home and TRY and forget this ever happened."

The other adult's eyes were squinted at Miss Lyon as her mouth grinned. "Only if you ask nicely."

"I'm sorry?" The producer's neck retracted as her voice went up an octave, shocked at this woman's bravery and nerve to test her patience. 

"You'll get the respect when you give it." Luna's adopted mother smiled.

Lyon took one step forward. "Bitch, I will-" She suddenly stopped as Regina lifted her right hand, forming a small spark of a fireball. "Are you threatening me?" Cookie asked in a daring tone.

"Mmm..." The olive-skinned woman thought about her answer. "I'm warning you." She corrected, as if there was a difference. Luna took one step back, knowing there was nothing she could do in a time like this. "Don't try me, Little Debbie..." Another cookie joke. "I can make you disappear with no questions asked...and you KNOW I can."

The tiny hint of fear in Cookie's eyes vanished when she looked back to Luna who was cautiously looking back and forth between the both of them. "You know what...fine! Maybe you CAN magic me to Timbuktu..." She stepped in so they were centimeters apart, their faces dangerously close. "...but without your magic, I could DROPKICK you to Timbuktu." She heard the small chuckle that escaped the mayor's lips as Regina avoided eye contact, looking around at the people behind Cookie. "Trust me, Boo." She gestured to her own body. "This came from the hood...17 years in prison is exactly what it sounds like." The darker woman took one step back, pointing at Regina as her own threat. "And I won't hesitate to stomp you." She looked around at all the people present in the park. "You see all these people? You won't use your little 'magic' sparklers in front o' them." She evilly smiled. "But I WILL bring you to the ground in front of them if I have to." Cookie watched as Regina pursed her lips with the knowledge that she was right. Taking another few steps back, Cookie's grin grew again and she looked to her left at Luna who stared at her mother with preparation, though Regina did nothing. Miss Lyon looked down to the mayor's feet then back up again. "Mhm." And she headed toward the exit of the park, minutes before Regina and Luna finally followed her.


	6. Behave

"Mom? Did you hear me?" 

"Hm? What?" Regina snapped out of her daze as she looked around at the size of the hotel they had just checked into.

"We're gonna go out to get something to eat. Wanna come?" Luna repeated.

"Oh. Uh, no thank you. I'd like to get some more sleep, since I was rudely awakened with all of this." She intensely squinted with a fake grin as she was met with a piercing smirk from Cookie, who stood beside her daughter.

Feeling guilty about everything that's happened, Luna shamefully nodded. "Alright, well. Maybe we'll bring you back something." She said sadly.

Regina sighed, knowing Luna meant well. She watched them turn to leave and she heard Cookie mumble something under her breath. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" The mayor tilted her head to the side in amusement.

"Nothin.'" Cookie said when Luna stepped out of the room first.

"Mhm." Regina responded when the music producer shut the hotel room door behind herself.

After they left, Regina stood from the bed, walking around the room with a wide smile. She loved her mansion in Storybrooke, but after more than thirty years, she had actually grown a bit tired of it and wanted to move. Though there was no place she had in mind due to the fact that no other house in Storybrooke was as nice as hers or bigger. Well, actually there was one, but she had absolutely no intention on moving in with Jefferson. Looking up at the high ceiling of the suite made her miss her castle in the Enchanted Forest. She did a slow, childlike spin before plopping down on the couch closest to the mini fridge. Opening it, she took out a small chocolate candy, unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth. She actually was quite hungry, but she needed some time away from Miss Lyon.

Taking out a small bottle of Tequila, she debated taking a sip, but she changed her mind, sitting up and throwing it onto the couch beside her. Clearing her throat, she took the crystal from around her neck in her hand and closed her eyes, rubbing it gently with her thumb before standing and heading to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

"Emma? David? Snow? Someone? Are you there?" She spoke, hoping someone was home in the Charmings apartment.

"Mom?"

"Henry?" She thought to herself that he went over there pretty fast, but she was proud he made a good choice. "I'm over here."

Her son walked passed the full body mirror before following her voice back to it and smiling when he saw her. "Hey."

"Hey." She smiled back. 

"How's London?" He asked with excitement.

"It's-It's nice here, but that Cookie seems to make you forget that." She said with intolerance. "Where are your grandparents? Are you getting ready for school?"

"Yeah, I just have to go brush my teeth and put my jacket on, then I gotta go. Grandpa is at the station with Mom and Grandma is changing Neal out of his PJ's." He responded.

"Can I please speak with Snow?" Regina wondered.

"I'm here." The adorable woman with a pixie cut walked in front of the mirror with her two-year-old son in her arms. "Hi, Regina." She widely smiled. "How's Luna?" She asked with precaution, remembering Henry's story informing her that Luna was supposed to stay behind in Storybrooke. 

"Oh, she's fine." Regina answered with displeasure in her tone. "Her dreams are coming true being in a faraway land like this one."

Henry smiled and left to go brush his teeth. "Oh, well you know how teen girls are. Besides, you know she's always wanted to go somewhere other than Storybrooke." Snow bounced Neal up and down a few times.

"Yes, but I'd rather that other that other place be home in the Enchanted Forest." The mayor put her hands on her hips.

"Yes, but that's our home. That isn't her home." Snow reminded her ex-stepmother.

"Yes, yes, I know." She shook her head. "I mean...she's been sneaking out to see Boston...according to her brother. Isn't that enough of a strange place away from Storybrooke?" 

"Not to a young, adventurous girl like Luna." Snow White never stopped smiling and she poked her son on the nose before setting him down to play with some toys as she continued to speak with Regina. 

"Anyway...how are things there?" The concerned town-owner wondered.

"They're good. They're good. No villains...I mean, bad people yet." The former bandit chuckled, putting her hands on her hips as well.

"Well, you better knock on wood, because we both know that doesn't last long." Regina leaned her hands on the bathroom sink in front of her.

"Yeah." Snow laughed. "Maybe David and I need a vacation too."

"This is hardly a vacation." Mills spoke sternly with disdain in her voice. "I feel like a baby-sitter. Not to mention, I keep having to save her as-"

"Regina!" Snow tried to catch her, reminding her that Neal was right behind her on the floor, listening in.

"I keep having to save her as well as keep an eye on Luna." Regina caught herself, changing her words just in time. She sighed again. "How am I supposed to convince her not to take up this singing thing?"

"Maybe you shouldn't."

"What?!"

"I'm just saying...maybe you should let her see how it is and if she doesn't like the industry, she can come back home with you." Snow suggested.

"It doesn't work that way. These music companies have you sign a contract and then you're pretty much indebted to them your whole life."

"Oh, Regina. It's not your WHOLE life." The optimistic princess grinned. "You can't protect her forever."

The woman with shoulder-length hair pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Why does everyone keep saying that to me?"

"Because it's true. It's just as true for her as it is for Henry...as it was for me."

"Yeah, well sadly it turned out the one you needed protection from was me." They both laughed.

"Just...don't forget that soon Luna is gonna wanna make decisions on her own and you won't have say for much longer." Snow pointed out.

Another audible sigh escaped Regina's lips and she straightened her posture. "Okay. Well, we'll see how this all works out. Ummm...if you need to get ahold of me, go to Gold. He'll know how to contact me."

"And if he's the one causing problems?" Snow rolled her eyes, as Gold was usually the one behind all their mishaps in the town. 

"Uh...then-" Regina scoffed, hating the words that were about to come out of her mouth. "Ugh! I guess you'll have to send one of the fairies."

Henry came back from brushing his teeth, already in his jacket. "Uh, Mom?"

"Yes, Dear?"

"What do I tell the teachers about Luna not being in school?" He wondered, putting his back pack on.

"I can take care of that, Henry." Snow said with a giggle in the back of her throat. "You know I work there, right?" She put her hand on top of his head.

"Oh, right." He laughed. "Bye, Mom. Love you!" He turned, running toward the door, in a hurry to meet Violet at the bus stop.

"Goodbye, Henry. Behave while I'm gone."

"I will!" He yelled, shutting the door behind him.

Snow shook her head with a chortle before picking Neal up again, ready to take him to daycare. "You behave as well." She said to Regina, referring to Cookie.

"Ohhh, I'll try." The mayor sort of lied before hanging up the call.

"You alright?" Cookie asked Luna as they sat in the restaurant across the street from the hotel. "You look a bit-"

"What?" Luna wondered, finally looking up from the menu.

"I don't know...flustered?" Cookie didn't feel that that was the right word, but it was close enough.

"Do I?" The teen slowly set the laminated menu aside. 

"You nervous about somethin?'" Cookie genuinely wondered.

"Like what?" 

"I don't know. Bein' out o' the country? Knowin' you're gonna get to meet so many celebrities tomorrow night? Your mom?" 

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm gonna be meeting more celebrities tomorrow?" She asked with excitement.

"Yes. What? You thought I wouldn't bring you to see all those live performers when they could one day be your fellow musicians at 'Empire?'" She loved the smile that grew on Luna's face.

"Wow!" She whispered with shock. "No, no. I'm not nervous about anything. If at all, I'm excited! Leaving that tiny town was all I've ever wanted."

"I can only imagine why what with your mom and all." Cookie's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked as the waiter returned with their drinks.

"I mean...she's a bit of a-" She stopped and bit her tongue, not wanting to speak so ill of the poor girl's mother, realizing she had a bit of loyalty to Regina as her daughter.

"A what?"

"A handful." Cookie said in a nicer way.

"Well," Luna lowered her voice and leaned in a bit closer to Cookie. "...she was the Evil Queen. Would you expect her to NOT be?" She giggled, but her smile almost immediately vanished. "Trust me...she used to be a lot worse."

"Worse how?" Cookie grew concerned. "Like...abusive?"

"Well..." Before she could answer the waiter returned to take their orders and when he left, Cookie could tell she had struck a chord with the teen.

"Luna." She lowered her voice quite a bit, hoping no one around them would hear. "Did she hit you?"

"No, no! God, no! Definitely not!" The younger of the two retracted her body. "She would just be very harsh with Henry and I. But she was much worse to him."

"Why?"

"He started to ask questions. He began to realize what was going on there with the curse and everything and she began to treat him like he was either a liar or mentally unstable. She made him see a shrink and he was only ten. I just kept quiet, because I was having my own issues at the time and he wasn't helping with all the assumptions he was making." Luna recalled the past and thought of how crazy it actually was.

"What was it that you were having trouble with?" Miss Lyon took a sip of her wine.

"I was starting to wonder about my birth parents. Henry always took the whole adoption thing way better than I did. He focused on the curse and I was wondering why my parents would give me up. I love Regina now, I do. She's always done what she believed was best for us both, but I just wondered what my life would've become if I was raised by the people who created me." She played with the straw in her iced tea glass. "Then...even with all the focus on the fairytale crap, Henry found Emma and I began to grow jealous. I found myself only going to school and going right home to write more songs. I didn't know what else to focus on. I had no idea what defined me. It was like I was stuck in a time loop, though still aging. I didn't exist to anyone while they went out fighting the bad guys and I stayed home studying potions, wishing I would find one that could bring me to find my real parents." She weakly smiled. "But then Regina changed...and I could see it in her face...she actually cared and she didn't want to be anything other than our mother."

"And you stopped searching for your parents?" The older woman asked.

"I didn't think I'd find them...nor did I find it important anymore." She took a sip of her drink. "But when I sing...it's like I'm going back to that place when I wondered where they are and that's all I have of them. But it's good enough. It's why I sing." Cookie stared down at the table with a pensive look. "I know...it's kinda lame." Luna chuckled.

"No, no. It's beautiful." She took another sip of wine while looking off in a daze for a second or two. Setting down the glass she snapped out of it with a smile. "Well, let's hope Miss Magic Whore says yes to you coming to record with us and you won't ever have to stop singing." 

Luna giggled. "Okay, first of all..if you want her to say yes, you're gonna have to behave and stop calling her things like 'Miss Magic Whore' and 'Snow-White-Murderer.'" She laughed again. "She and Snow are actually pretty close now."

"You see, I don't buy that." 

"Why not?" 

"She the Evil Queen! If she gettin' along wit' anybody, you better watch out because it's a trick! They're frenemies. Keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer." Luna suddenly understood she was joking and she began to laugh all the while, Cookie continued to talk. "I know how that works. Because honey, I invented that myself." Luna kept giggling. "Did I ever tell you about Boo Boo Kitty?" 

"Boo Boo what?" Regina's adopted daughter wiped away a tear. 

"I didn't tell you?" Luna shook her head no. "Well, let me tell you..."


End file.
